In a development that has drawn national attention and ignited fierce debate, the largest immigration detention facility in U.S. history opened its doors at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, on August 17, 2025. Dubbed the 'Lonestar Lockup' by Texas Senator John Cornyn, this sprawling tent camp is designed to hold up to 5,000 people, marking a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration's efforts to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. The facility's opening comes amid a wave of new detention centers springing up across the country, including the controversial 'Alligator Alcatraz' in the Florida Everglades and Indiana's 'Speedway Slammer,' all part of a broader federal push to expand the nation's capacity for immigration enforcement.
According to The Independent, the Fort Bliss project has been mired in controversy from the start. Over the past six months, the process of establishing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on a military base was beset by delays, failed contracts, and even tragedy. In April, a multi-billion-dollar contract to build the camp was abruptly canceled, with the White House citing President Donald Trump's executive order on wasteful spending and transparency as the reason for the termination. Subsequent contract offers were also withdrawn for unclear reasons, leaving the project's future in limbo.
It wasn't until July that the Department of Defense announced it had secured a $231.9 million contract with Acquisition Logistics LLC to construct and operate the facility. However, not all parties were satisfied with the outcome. Gemini Tech Services LLC, a competing bidder, filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which, according to NBC News, is currently investigating the matter for potential improprieties in the bidding process. The Army has confirmed awareness of the protest but declined to comment further due to ongoing litigation.
Tragedy struck the project just weeks before its opening. Hector Gonzalez, a 38-year-old employee of a subcontracted company, died in a workplace accident at the site. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division have launched investigations into the incident. "Hector was a beloved husband, father, son, brother and co-worker and he will be greatly missed. Our support and prayers are with his entire family," a spokesperson for Disaster Management Group told NBC News.
The Fort Bliss facility is not only unprecedented in size but also in its location and operational model. Built within the walls of a military base—home to 90,000 service members and their families—the tent camp isolates detainees from public view and, critics argue, from crucial oversight. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the camp's remote location and military setting make it difficult for detainees to access legal counsel, medical care, or even communicate with their families. The ACLU warns that such isolation increases the risk of abuse and neglect, and is part of a calculated move to militarize immigration enforcement and fast-track deportations with minimal accountability.
ICE, for its part, insists that the facility will adhere to agency detention standards, offering access to legal representation, visitation, recreation space, medical treatment, balanced meals, and necessary accommodations. The agency describes the site as serving both as a detention and processing center, which it claims will streamline the removal process. "Upon completion, this will be the largest federal detention center in history for this critical mission - the deportation of illegal aliens," Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson stated.
The opening of Fort Bliss is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Across the country, the Trump administration has moved rapidly to open new detention centers, including 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Florida and 'Speedway Slammer' in Indiana. The Florida facility, in particular, has been the subject of ongoing legal battles and public scrutiny. On August 18, a federal judge in Miami was scheduled to hear arguments over whether detainees at 'Alligator Alcatraz' have been denied their legal rights, including confidential access to attorneys. Civil rights lawyers allege that detainees face restrictive conditions, pressure to sign voluntary removal orders without counsel, and even deportation without final removal orders. The state of Florida disputes these claims, asserting that all attorney meeting requests have been granted since videoconferencing began on July 15 and in-person meetings started on July 28. Yet, lawyers maintain that meetings are neither private nor timely, and that the facility's practices are far more restrictive than at other immigration centers.
Meanwhile, environmental concerns have also come to the fore. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a 14-day halt on additional construction at 'Alligator Alcatraz' on August 7, citing possible violations of federal environmental rules. A ruling on whether operations can continue is expected before the order expires later this month.
The expansion of detention centers has been fueled by an unprecedented influx of federal funding. According to the ACLU, Congress recently passed a reconciliation bill allocating $170 billion toward immigration enforcement, with $45 billion earmarked specifically for detention. ICE's detention budget now exceeds that of the entire federal prison system by 62 percent. The Trump administration has already spent $1.2 billion on the Fort Bliss camp alone, sparking criticism from those who argue that such funds would be better spent on public services such as disaster relief, health care, education, and housing.
The human cost of these policies continues to mount. Since October 2024, 13 people have died in ICE custody, already surpassing the previous year's total. Local officials in El Paso have responded by passing a resolution demanding transparency and accountability regarding the Fort Bliss camp. The ACLU has applauded this move, calling for oversight visits, public reports on detention conditions, and legislation to shift immigration enforcement away from punitive approaches.
Fort Bliss itself has a troubled history as a detention site. During World War II, it was used to intern people of Japanese, German, and Italian descent. Earlier, during the Mexican Revolution, it served as a holding site for thousands of Mexican refugees, many of whom were subjected to harsh conditions. More recently, the base was used to detain children separated from their families under Trump's first term, and government investigators reported serious emotional distress among minors due to inadequate care.
As the debate over immigration enforcement intensifies, the opening of 'Lonestar Lockup' at Fort Bliss stands as a stark symbol of the nation's shifting policies—and the profound questions they raise about justice, transparency, and human dignity. The coming weeks will reveal whether legal challenges and public outcry can reshape the future of immigration detention in America.
